


'have fun!'

by nymeriahale



Series: prompt fills [28]
Category: Rugby RPF, Rugby Union RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25784572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nymeriahale/pseuds/nymeriahale
Summary: George can’t help the constant bounce of his knee as he sits in the locker room, wishing it was actually doing anything to vent the restless energy humming through him. He’s just done the coin toss with Alun Wyn Jones, a procedure he’s only gone through the once before. The sight of his opposing captain - the captain of a team on a 14 game winning streak, theregularcaptain of his opposition - has fired up what he wishes he could pretend was anticipation, not nerves, not fear.George looks up, wrist tape in hand, as someone stops in front of him - Owen.“Can I -?” Owen reaches for George’s wrist tape.
Relationships: Owen Farrell/George Ford
Series: prompt fills [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/396019
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	'have fun!'

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: 'also, I’ve rewatched many many games now (what else it there to do ) and noticed Georgie often has tape around his wrists which for some reason I think is utterly adorable but imagine if faz started writing on the tape.... like a smiley face or a cute message'
> 
> Set before the first pre-World Cup warm up game, at home against Wales, where George was captain and Owen wasn’t in the squad.

George can’t help the constant bounce of his knee as he sits in the locker room, wishing it was actually doing anything to vent the restless energy humming through him. He’s just done the coin toss with Alun Wyn Jones, a procedure he’s only gone through the once before. The sight of his opposing captain - the captain of a team on a 14 game winning streak, the _regular_ captain of his opposition - has fired up what he wishes he could pretend was anticipation, not nerves, not fear.

George exhales steadily as he rifles through his bag for his wrist tape - it’s still nearly an hour to the match, but only a few short minutes before he can get onto the pitch and start warming up. That will help, that will have to help, a more familiar part of the match day routine to ground him. If it doesn’t help, if he can’t settle, he doesn’t know what will happen in the match. But warm up will help, and the anthem will help, and it’s just another rugby match, after all. He’s played hundreds of them, played a fair enough amount as captain, he knows how it goes.

George looks up, wrist tape in hand, as someone stops in front of him - Owen.

George smiles.

“Can I -?” Owen reaches for George’s wrist tape, settling in his usual alcove across the corner from George, empty with Piers Francis the other side of the room chatting to a physio.

George bites his lip. He doesn’t like to mess with his routine. But Owen had done his wrist tape for him through the Under 20s World Championship, and that had turned out okay.

George passes over the base tape without a word, holding out his wrists and staying silent, surveying the room, as Owen gets to work.

Owen doesn’t talk either, and George feels himself starting to calm as Owen circles gentle layers of protection around his wrist. He’s careful, but quick, familiar with the task. George watches, focusing on the warmth of Owen’s familiar touch on his skin, returning to it whenever an anxious spiral of thoughts threatens to sweep him away. He’s glad they’d broken his routine, George decides, handing over the second tape before Owen even has to ask. It’s not a task he enjoys, finding it too simple to engage his brain, letting in run wild in ways that are sometimes unhelpful so close to an important occasion. 

“Thank you,” George murmurs to Owen, who knows this, when he’s has finished with George’s left wrist. Owen had probably seen George fidgeting, now he thinks of it, had probably known he was needed.

Owen looks up at him. “Anytime,” he squeezes George’s wrist gently before releasing it in favour of his right.

They don’t speak through the wrapping of George’s right wrist, the time ticking down until he has to go out on the pitch, but neither does George’s knee continue to bounce. He watches Owen, his head ducked, focus complete, hands confident on George’s more delicate bones, and feels his confidence starting to return.

“Thank you,” George repeats, when Owen is done, twisting his wrist to take Owen’s hand before he can let go.

“One more thing,” Owen says as George stands, holding him there.

George cocks his head to the side as Owen digs a marker out of his own back pocket - had he been planning this, then? He holds out his wrist without Owen needing to prompt him, starts to smile only a few letters in.

‘have fun!’ the message reads, as it had read through their junior days.

“I’ll try,” George says, when Owen looks up and immediately returns his smile.

George contemplates their surroundings, the bubble of affection in his chest. He glances over his shoulder - they’re somewhat isolated in the corner, and no one is actually looking directly at them.

George stoops to kiss Owen, brief and to the point, hopefully conveying what their moment has meant to him better than words can.

Owen’s eyes have softened when George pulls back and he brushes a gentle thumb up George’s wrist tape, onto the skin of his inner arm.

“Have fun,” Owen bids, aloud.

George lets his smile twist to a smirk. “I will,” he tells Owen, packing all of the confidence Owen had returned to him into the words, and turns on his heel to stride to the pitch.

It’s time to warm up, and then? Then, it’ll be time to play.

**Author's Note:**

> No thunder update this week, sorry all! Please accept a few prompt fills I did on tumblr back in May as an apology - we should be back to normal next week. As always I can be found on [twitter](http://twitter.com/nymeriahale) and both my [main](http://nymeriahale.tumblr.com) and [rugby](http://fordfarrell.tumblr.com) tumblrs, and would love to hear from you either there or in the comments!


End file.
